DCU 5, Columbus 1

Jaime scores his 100th, and it was his pass to Esky that led to the PK.

Except for the last fifteen minutes of the first half when both teams, playing in summer weather for the first time all season, were huffing and still, this was like a practice session for DCU. They rotated the ball in and out and clockwise and counterclockwise until Adu or Gros were left alone on a wing for a run and a cross. Gomez, given room, is wonderful - why opposing coaches aren't employing the strategy of smothering and hacking Gomez like Chicago did last playoffs puzzles me. Columbus may just not have the defensive personnel, but if you're going to let DCU string pass after pass and complete long elaborate plays you deserve to lose 5-1.

I took a friend from work who's expressed a skeptical desire to see a game (my regulars stuck with homework or workwork). He thought the singing, the standing, the chanting enjoyable, but then, when Gomez fed Esky on the breakaway and Esky raced ahead and buried it, he found himself screaming as full-throatedly as everyone else. I've been told if I have an extra ticket for Ningland this Saturday he's interested. I don't.

Flattering bio in Post in the morning, goal in the evening. It is good to be Alecko Eskandarian, at least yesterday.

I realize MLS teams hate home Wednesday games, which is why MLS distributes them equally amongst the twelve teams, but I love them. (The announced attendance was just under 12,000, though it seemed like more than that to me.) It'd be wonderful to get 20K+ for Saturday: beating Columbus 5-1 is nice. Beating Ningland is the test.